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'''Dmitri Shostakovich''' (1906-1975) was a [[Russia]]n [[composer]] who worked in many different styles and forms.  While he is primarily known for his symphonies and string quartets, he also composed several operas, orchestral suites, concertos, and much piano music. Along with that of [[Sergei Prokofiev]], Shostakovich's music is almost universally considered by critics and listeners to be among the most compelling to come out of the stifling creative atmosphere of the [[Soviet Union]].

'''Dmitri Shostakovich''' (1906-1975) was a [[Russia]]n [[composer]] who worked in many different styles and forms.  While he is primarily known for his symphonies and string quartets, he also composed several operas, orchestral suites, concertos, and much piano music. Along with that of [[Sergei Prokofiev]], Shostakovich's music is almost universally considered by critics and listeners to be among the most compelling to come out of the stifling creative atmosphere of the [[Soviet Union]].

Shostakovich's compositional legacy is complicated by the demands of the repressive political environment in which he lived. He was required to occasionally write obsequious and banal works which satisfied the doctrines of Socialist Realism.<ref>Ian MacDonald, ''The New Shostakovich,'' 1988</ref> Additionally, in the USSR, every new work had to be vetted by a committee of members from the [[Communist Party]]'s Composer's Union, which tried to ensure that no ideological rules were being broken.<ref>Laurel Fay, ''Shostakovich: A Life,'' 2000.</ref> For reasons that perhaps will never be understood (and apparently against his will<ref>Eliabeth Wilson, ''Shostakovich: A Life Remembered,'' 1995</ref>), Shostakovich also joined the Communist Party himself in 1960.

Shostakovich's compositional legacy is complicated by the demands of the repressive political environment in which he lived. He was required to occasionally write obsequious and banal works which satisfied the doctrines of Socialist Realism.<ref>MacDonald, Ian. ''The New Shostakovich,'' 1988</ref> Additionally, in the USSR, every new work had to be vetted by a committee of members from the [[Communist Party]]'s Composer's Union, which tried to ensure that no ideological rules were being broken.<ref>Fay, Laurel. ''Shostakovich: A Life,'' 2000.</ref> For reasons that perhaps will never be understood (and apparently against his will<ref>Wilson, Elizabeth. ''Shostakovich: A Life Remembered,'' 1995</ref>), Shostakovich also joined the Communist Party himself in 1960.

==Wartime years==

==Wartime years==

==Latter years==

==Latter years==

In his later years, Shostakovich's music became increasingly personal, and often involving the theme of death.  Notably, the Fourteenth Symphony (1968) is a series of eleven songs on the theme of death.  In contrast to many classical works dealing with death, the Fourteenth symphony does not seek to offer religious consolation.  The late String Quartets, notably the Thirteenth (Op 138) and the Fifteenth (Op 144) are similarly bleak and death-obsessed.  Shostakovich's final work is a sonata for viola and piano (Op 147) which was completed a few days before his death from lung cancer in 1975.

In his later years, Shostakovich's music became increasingly personal, and often involving the theme of death.  Notably, the Fourteenth Symphony (1968) is a series of eleven songs on the theme of death.  In contrast to many classical works dealing with death, the Fourteenth symphony does not seek to offer religious consolation.  The late String Quartets, notably the Thirteenth (Op. 138) and the Fifteenth (Op. 144) are similarly bleak and death-obsessed.  Shostakovich's final work is a sonata for viola and piano (Op. 147) which was completed a few days before his death from lung cancer in 1975.

==The ''Testimony'' controversy - Was Shostakovich a secret dissident?==

==The ''Testimony'' controversy - Was Shostakovich a secret dissident?==